Emma Okonji
The contribution of telecoms sector to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has continued to record steady growth after sliding to 7.67 per cent in the third quarter of 2025.
The latest statistics released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which THISDAY obtained from its official website, showed that telecoms contribution to GDP reached 9.19 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, up from 8.12 per cent recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025 and 7.67 per cent recorded in third quarter of 2025.
The telecoms sector has been one of the highest contributing sectors to Nigeria’s GDP, contributing as much as 16.06 per cent in Q2, 2023, before sliding to 8.93 per cent in Q2, 2024, with a further drop in GDP contribution to 7.51 per cent in Q3, 2024, after the rebasing of telecoms sector in 2024 by the telecoms industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission.
The statistics showed that telecoms’ sector contribution to GDP has remained on a steady growth trajectory since 2024 after the sector was rebased.
From the statistics, telecoms contribution to GDP improved to reach 7.80 per cent in Q4, 2024, up from 7.51 per cent GDP contribution in Q3, 2024.
In Q1, 2025, the sector’s GDP contribution grew to reach 8.50 per cent, with a further growth to 9.20 per cent in Q2, 2025.
Telecoms’ contribution to GDP, however, dropped slightly to 7.67 per cent in Q3, 2025, but it increased again to reach 8.12 per cent in Q4, 2025, before reaching 9.19 per cent in Q1, 2026, according to NCC’s statistics.
Speaking about the current growth in the sector’s contribution to GDP, the Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria, Gbenga Adebayo, who doubles as the spokesperson of telecoms operators in Nigeria, attributed the growth in GDP contribution to the tariff price adjustment carried out in 2025, where NCC approved 50 per cent hike in telecoms tariff.
According to Adebayo, such tariff adjustment, raised investors’ confidence in the Nigerian telecoms sector, to invest more in network upgrade and expansion in order to improve service quality.
“The growth in telecoms’ sector contribution to Nigeria’s GDP, is as a result of the continuous investments in the telecoms sector, largely driven by the right government policies and regulatory standards. We must commend the federal government for its right policies on food and economy that are impacting positively on the Nigerian economy, leading to stability in governance.
So, part of what we are seeing today in terms of contribution to GDP growth, is the outcome of government policies that are now being implemented.
“It’s also important to mention the role of the regulator. If the regulator is not doing things right, then the sector will not grow, which will affect its contribution to GDP. So, the current growth in Nigeria’s GDP, supported by the telecoms sector, is a combination of many factors that have boosted the current confidence of the sector,” Adebayo told THISDAY in a telephone interview.